Parents face enrollment headaches

By Wade Allen

Published: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 07:59 AM.

Principals decide whether the student’s school records need updating, Balknight said. “They’ll send those families to us, to make sure we are properly enrolling the students at the schools,” she said. “We don’t want the principals to spend a lot of time away from instruction.”

‘Disorderly’ while enrolling: About 70 families arrived to enroll their children on the first day of school, and 50 arrived Tuesday. Balknight expects fewer families as the week continues. An incident on Aug. 23 led the crowd control officer to ticket a Mount Holly man for disorderly conduct. That happened around 5 p.m., when the enrollment period stopped for the day, said Melton.

Parents who had numbers in hand could be seen past 5 p.m. Others were told they’d have to come back another time. “My understanding is that he was using foul language and (was) disorderly,” Melton said.

Parents who waited until the last minute to enroll their children in school faced some long lines. And one faces a disorderly conduct charge. School officials estimate 50 to 75 families have arrived every day for the past two weeks at Gaston County Schools’ central office.

An off-duty Gaston County Police officer will be there through the end of the week for crowd control. The school system hired the officer, who has been there daily since Aug. 16, said Gaston County police Capt. W.S. Melton. Parents can enroll their children year round, but most began in June, said Melissa Balknight, assistant superintendent of student support services.

The past two weeks brought an influx of families seeking enrollment. If a family can’t be seen right away, they get a number and wait. Balknight said once a family sits down with an employee, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete the process.

It’s designed mainly to enroll students who have either moved to Gaston County recently or moved to another school district. Parents must provide two different documents as proof of residency, including a utility bill, lease agreement or deed for a home. There are occasions when parents must provide proof of residency for students to attend the same school as last year.

Principals decide whether the student’s school records need updating, Balknight said. “They’ll send those families to us, to make sure we are properly enrolling the students at the schools,” she said. “We don’t want the principals to spend a lot of time away from instruction.”

‘Disorderly’ while enrolling: About 70 families arrived to enroll their children on the first day of school, and 50 arrived Tuesday. Balknight expects fewer families as the week continues. An incident on Aug. 23 led the crowd control officer to ticket a Mount Holly man for disorderly conduct. That happened around 5 p.m., when the enrollment period stopped for the day, said Melton.

Parents who had numbers in hand could be seen past 5 p.m. Others were told they’d have to come back another time. “My understanding is that he was using foul language and (was) disorderly,” Melton said.